Ironing machine



B. W. BROCKETT Nov. 1.1 19% IRONING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1922 Patented Nov. 11, 19 24 umreo STATE-S PATENT A OFFICE.

nnuro'rm w. nnocxn'r'r. or CLEVELAND nnronrs, 01110, ssrenon rorHE AMERIQAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, or crncxmwrr, care, A. conrone'rronor OHIO.

IRONING MAGHINE.

Application filed April 5, 1922. Serial No 549,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLUFORD W. BROOKETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved flat work ironing machine.

The'objects of thisinvention are to provide an improved ironing machine of the same general type as is usedfor ironing fiat 7 work, this type of machine comprising a heated ironing bed and one or more padded resser rolls for advancing the work along the bed under pressure.

'More particularly, it is the object of my invention to provide such a machine in which the roll or rolls are made of such light weight material that when they rest directly and with. their full weight upon the ironing bed, their gravity pressure is not in excess of the minimum pressure required for ironing; together with adjustable means for applying different degrees of ironing pressure to the roll or rolls according as may be desired.

Thus it is possible to iron difi'erent classes of work with proper degrees of pressure, even those classes of work which are properly ironed at pressures less than that caused by the gravity pressure of the ordinary roll, which is approximately six 5 hundred pounds.

It is likewise an object of this invention to provide such a machine in which the resistance of the covering of the rolls to wind or wrap is accordingly increased.

Furthermore, it is the object of this invention to suspend such a roll or rolls from a support which can be moved towards and away from the bed so as to properly position the same with respect to the ironing surface. Finally it is an object to so construct and I arrange the parts of my improved device that practically all of the ironing pressure is effected by adjustable spring tension means. i

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ironing machine embodying my invention; Fig.

22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3

shows in" enlarged de- 2 is a sectional view on the line tail-a portion of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 shows one of the rolls in cross section.

In the arrangement shown in the drawing's, the frame comprises side members 1, each provided near its upper edge with roll bearing guides 2 as shown in Fig. 1. These frame members aresecured together by any suitable means and by the hollow ironing bed 3 which is adapted to be supplied with steam or other heating medium through the pipe 4, there being another pipe, not shown, for establishing circulation. This is a structure which is common to many types of flat work ironers. Mounted in the bearing guides 2 and sliding therein are rfoll bearings 5 receiving the trunnion's 6 of the roll 7. The guides are usually made with parallel sides and the bearings are square .or rectangular so as to slide nicely in these uides. The sliding movementof the bearings is toward and from the bed. Each of the bearing blocks 5 is provided with an up wardly extending ear 8 provided with a slot 9 and a spring pilot 10, the latter extending upwardly. The slot 9 receives a pin 11 passing through the sides of a pressure bar 12 extending the full length of the machine and common to all of the rolls. En-- gaging each spring pilot 10 is a spring 13 engaging the pilot on a pressure block 14 adapted to be engaged by the end of a pressure screw 15 extending through the top of the pressure bar. A check nut 16 holds this adjusting spring in any desired position.

The pressure bars 12, one on each side of the'machine, are given their upward and downward movement by links 28 and 29,

each of which is provided by an eccentric strap 30 engaging an eccentric 31 arranged on one or the other of transverse shafts 32. Each of these shafts is provided with a worm gear meshing with the worm 34. adapted to be driven by gear. 35 and meshing with a pinion 36 arranged on a hand whee shaft 37. When the hand wheel is rotated the pressure bars are raised and lowered to bring the rolls 7 into and out of engagement wit the ironing bed.

This pressure mechanism for the bars 12 is of a well known construction and no claim is made to the structure thus far described.

According to the present invention, the

roll 7 is made of comparatively light material, as for instance aluminum, so as to reduce the weight thereof to approximately the weight corresponding to the pressure necessary for proper ironing of the work.

The old presser roll which weighs approximately six hundred pounds is too heavy for certain work and consequently the buttons and other irregularities as well as the materials themselves are crushed by the ex-v fected including those below as well as above six hundred pounds and the danger of crushing the work is minimized. This is due to the fact that in the present device the pressure corresponding to the excess weight of the old form of roll isrcmoved from the roll and yet can be applied in whatever degree desired by adjustment of the springs.

Likewise, since the tendency of the roll covering to wind or wrap'about the roll bears an intimate relation to the frictional engagement between the covering and the ironing surface, or in other words to the pressure upon the roll, it follows that with my. present improvement the tendency of the covering to wrap about the roll'is considerably decreased or in other words the resistance of the covering on the present roll to winding or wrapping is greatly increased. Thus my new roll will give much longer service without being adjusted towards the ironing surface to overcome the decrease in diameter of the roll due to tightening of the covering.

The covering 7 in my improved device has its inner end attached to the roll and its outer end is free, the strip of covering being wound upon the roll'in convolute form as is commonly done in the art. The covering may be of cloth or any other suitable material.

Having described my invention, I claim:

I. In an ironing machine, the combination of an ironing member, a presser roll above said member, said roll being of a weight not in excess of that required to exert ironing pressure, and means for applying pressure to said roll.

2. In an ironing machine, the combination of an ironing member, a plurality of padded presser rolls located above said member for feeding the work over the face of said ironing member, said rolls being of a weight not in excess of that required to exert ironing pressure, and means for applying pressure to said rolls.

3. In an ironing machine, the combination of an ironing member, a presser roll located above said member for feeding the work over the face of said ironing member, said roll having a covering in convolute form thereabout, the weight of said roll being insuiiicient to alone exert a pressure in excess of ironing pressure, and means for applying pressure to said roll.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature.

BLUFORD W. BROCKETT. 

